I've been a really bad blogger and a bad blog friend. I've been so wrapped up with my own 'personal' things that I actually have forgotten that I keep a blog and that maybe the people who read my blog are interested in knowing what's up! Because there's a whole lot of what's up in my life at the mo.

A couple of posts ago I wrote that there is so much to tell that I don't know where to start well ... let's just start.

I told you we are moving, we still are only we're moving to Sweden. It's bloody scary people and for a while I was scared writing about it because there are always people who think negative and who want to play with your mind and tell you it's no good and you know what?, I can't deal with that stress. We have this plan, we believe there's a better future for us there and people should just be happy for us and that's it. That's also the reason why I've been so bottomless in writing this blog because I was bottling up this big thing and all I want to do is write about and and tell you how scary yet how exciting it is.

So the big word is out, we are moving to Sweden ... tomorrow?, no I think next year or in a couple of months. It all depends on finding the right house, selling this house and the Bo's business. But Eeeeeee, it's so exciting!! In two weeks we're going to view a property we love only it's big and neglected so it might be a bit risky. We're also learning Swedish because I want to be able to speak the language when we move there. I never really get how these people in TV shows like My Place Under The Sun do not speak the language when they move to Greece for example. They even buy houses using hand and feet ... they are buying a house or crying out loud!! I want to be able to read my gas bill. We have a two hour lesson a week from this amazing Swedish woman (hej Katarina) and we can already introduce ourselves and count to 1000 and tell you all about the Svensson family. But I don't think we'll get far with that information so we need more lessons.

We also have to get the Boo to the vet today for her rabies shot. It takes 4 to 12 months before they can see if the Boo made enough anti cells after the injection* so we really need to do it today if we decide to move early. And we feel sorry for her because she hates to go to the vet - I don't really get her problem because she's having a very handsome and sweet vet. It's also her seventh birthday coming Sunday (easter day) so we made her a special gift over the weekend.

Behold the BooBoo balcony or as we famously call it "Boos Balkong". We made this for her because she loves the windowsill but she doesn't really fit on it with her big flapy belly - boy it's so embarrassing but her belly actually flaps left to right if she runs. Now the running is something that doesn't happen often but believe me it's an ugly sight. The other day Bo overheard people calling her a big fat cat on the street. Poor Boo.

For Swedish readers (and for those who are interested) we are moving to the Vimmerby/Västervik area. Yay, we are moving to Pipi Longstocking's neighborhood. If you have any tips, things we should know, advice you want us to give, everything, anything is welcome.

I'll go back to blogging about my house, my new house (and country) and all the other things I love blogging about because I've missed it. I'll be still selling Box Letter Cushions and as from today I've opened my own "whip up your own box letter cushion shop" (I'll have this printed on t-shirts) so that you can design your own with the fabrics you love from my selection. There's also a lovely interview Mary Jo from Trust Your Style did over here.

Happy new week!

* it apparently only takes 4 weeks but Norway and Sweden are quite strict so they want blood samples of 4 months and up.

Thanks so much for your tips and good advice concerning Mona.

Mona moved to a friend of us who's not having a very spoiled, fat and who think she's a princess cat living with her. The problem wasn't really Mona because she is fantastic. They say chows are difficult dogs, I think they are the best. I had her housetrained in two days, she was an absolute star at night and overall a really lovely happy little puppy. But yes we have a really odd relationship with our cat and we simple can't function well if the Boo isn't functioning well. So when our friend begged us to let her take Mona, after her own dog passed away, we simply couldn't resist to have things back to normal. And literally back to normal because just two hours after Mona left the building princess BooBoo Consuela Banana Hammock was back in her old routine like as if nothing ever happened ... "a puppy, what where? Oh that's a lovely basket ... for me?". It's my fault I've spoiled her rotten.

We still get to see Mona grow up and we're at my friends house often to play wit her and if Boo lets us we'll have her over for a pajama party. So it's not really goodbye!

The other day I found her sleeping in my strawberries. Boy, I love that cat!

Because of all my complaining I received my first negative comment.

I think that you are complaining a lot. I mean, a little puppy? How about 5 children! I guess you live a very comfortable life without any dutys, taking naps, watching telly and reading magazines. Anonymous | 09.10.07 - 3:53 pm | #

I'm really happy with this negative comment because it makes me realize how fortunate I am not to have to deal with five children. Man alive that would make a pretty interesting blog if I had five children!! It's a very good life choice for me not to have them because I know I don't do that well. I know I'm good at lots of other things and that's why I do them. Sometimes I have to try something new to know if I can or can not do it. I love to write about these things on my blog because I know we all struggle with these things. Some are big, some are small but all as important. I do hope that this anonymous commenter made the life choice that best suits her and that she isn't afraid to sometimes fail miserably, just like I (we all) do!

I'm so sorry for not updating my blog a little more frequent but I'm busy getting used to some changes in my life. Since a couple of days we have a teeny tiny blue chow living with us called Mona and she has changed the way I go about my day entirely.

Being a single married woman (SMW) I spend a lot of time on my own during the day. This makes me very selfish. I can watch the telly, go shopping, play computer games, eat and sleep whenever I want and never really have to worry about someone else. During the hours when the Bo is home he perfectly blends in with the way I live and that's been working great for the past nine years. To be honest, I find it difficult but I'm trying hard to adjust. Am I the only one here or is this normal for first time dog owners?

I'm really happy Mona sort of gets along with the Boo (they sniffed each other today without the Boo slapping Mona - yay!) and that they give each other space. The Boo's favorite spot in the house is our bed so I actually think she's having a ball now I've moved her food upstairs, there's no good reason to come downstairs at all!

With new pets, new furniture comes along. Not being a lover of tartan, corduroy, canvas and Muppet skin I turned to my sewing room and whipped up this pet bed for Mona and Boo - I hope they are going to share eventually.

I've made a beanbag kind of base for the pet bed from white cotton duck because it's strong and also my favourite fabric to work with. I stuffed it with EPS (expanded polystyrene) pearls and made a separate slipcover of Cath Kidston fabric I can take off and put in the washer. I also made another cover from a darker fabric for in the car, to take with me on holidays or when she's going on a sleepover.

I'm willing to take custom orders for these pet beds. As they are super lightweight I can ship them quite reasonably. Just drop me a note with your wishes (size and fabric) and I'll send you a quote.

I've done something today that I never do ... I sat in the sun!! Yes people, I sat in the sun for an hour flipping magazines. I sat in the sun for an hour flipping magazines with my feet in a bucket of water, I sat in the sun for an hour flipping magazines with my feet in a bucket of water in my UNDERWEAR!!!

Mind me but it wasn't really a lovely little sun with a nice summer's breeze, it was a sweltering heat wave kind of "I'm going to get toasted" sun. And I sat in it ... I still can't believe it.

Boo tried to copy me but couldn't stand the heat with so much fur and fat. The temperature read 37 °C (98 F) in the shade - IN THE SHADE!! It's just crazy and I sat in the sun!!

This is an achievement and I think I need to be awarded. I who hates sun, who hates sitting down doing nothing for an hour, who hates sitting in underwear, who hates ... well I actually loved the feet in the bucket of water and the flipping magazines.

Something else I like to share (because I got tagged twice and have been trying to ignore it - hehe) 8 random bits about me:

1. I'm super emotional and well up at very odd moments. Like when a marching band starts to play music or when people applaud for a save landing or when one of the teachers from my old Au Pair child celebrated her last day at the nursery. It's super embarrassing sometimes and utterly inconvenient.
2. I'm attracted to imperfect people.
3. I've been a big Oprah fan for a long time until she said "eat whole grain" as if it was a revelation. That made me not believe her anymore.
4. I still have movie star crushes.
5. I do not believe in heaven or hell but I do want to go to a place full of kittens, free shopping and fat free yummy food when I'm dead.
6. I like celebrity gossip and know everything there's to know about Brad and Angelina.
7. I shower every day and clean my bedding every other day.
8. I do not like summers and I actually think I suffer from summer depressions. When the leaves start to fall from the trees I get happy and energetic. I do believe in a struggle and I feel you have to struggle harder in autumn and winter.

Today is the Boo's sixth birthday. What to give a family member who doesn't understand the meaning of giving? This year, after spending years of giving her food she doesn't like, toys she doesn't play with and collars she hates, I've donated money to WSPA in her name. I think this is a great gift option for a cat who's super spoiled.

I'm going to be away this weekend but I'll be back with stories next week. Have a super good weekend.

It's the BooBoo's first lustrum in two days. She's celebrating five years on planet earth.

She was born in my old house in a big Gateway box on top of the bed. Her mum is Pea and she still lives there. She was having three brothers and one sister. All were white only Rover, who now lives with a friend, was ginger. I sat all the time next to Pea's Gateway box and I saw all the kittens popping out. It was just so amazing to experience something like that. Each time a kitten popped out I gave a little jolt of admiration. I can't remember which came first but I remember clearly that Rover (the ginger one) was last because ... well, he's ginger!!


Boo, Pea and her brothers and sisters on the bed

We decided that same evening that the Boo was going to be ours. We would give the others away and keep the little Boo because she looked so much like her mum. Rover and Herman went together to my friend Marieke and Dude went to my friend Danielle's sister and brother in law and Jet went to our old neighbor.


Boo a couple weeks old

Ten months after the Boo's birth we sold our house and decided to move to Suriname in South America. Pea was adopted by the new owners because we didn't want her to leave her beloved house. Suriname was horrible, both for me and Boo. It's was too hot, too uncivilized and there were all these scary animals, reptiles and creepy crawlers we both hated so much. The Boo spent the length of her Suriname adventure under a bed. Only coming underneath it to eat and pee. I think she never pooped. So we moved back to The Netherlands. I don't think I ever seen a happier cat the day we opened her bench on Dutch solid ground.


Boo in our garden in Suriname

We shortly moved from my mother's house to a rented farm in the country side and Boo loved it there. There were mice galore and bunnies too. She would have her daily yell with the pheasant that strolled around the garden and she at last would rub the Shetland ponies in the farmers field. It was BooBoo's heaven up there.


Boo in the pony field, always really dirty

That lasted two years until we finally found our little old new house in town. We kept living at the farm during all the restorations and renovations and moved when the upstairs was done - or merely livable. A whole new adventure started for the Boo. There were stairs everywhere (we only ever lived in bungalows) and attics and other cats and lots of new and exciting people.


Boo exploring the boot room attic

Now at five and living in a town center she doesn't have much exercise and is growing rather fat. But she's getting sweeter by every pound she putting on. She wakes me up each morning (preferable at six) for her morning doses of cuddles (loolle as we call it) and she will sleep close to my tummy. She loves it when the Bo comes home and I don't know how she does it but she knows the sound of his car and she will run the front door, just like a dog, and waits until he opens it to overload him with rubs. She likes it when I play the guitar and when I sing to her. She loves, absolutely loves, Whiskas Dentabites and Kidney Gourmet mouse for tea. She currently hates the little truck that rides through our street because of all the new houses they're going to build. And the whales she makes hurt my every bone.

I can not explain how much I love this cat, so much that I have to dedicade a whole post to her and that writing this makes my eyes water.



Happy fifth birthday my little Boobeloo!

PS BooBoo and I would like to say thank you for all the sweet shelving comments. We love our kitchen!! There's always something nice to eat. Also the Boo's cat box is right under those shopping bags. And in the pantry we store her favorite food and treats.